Nanny agency..is this fraud?What can I do!

[Isabella]

I posted an ad to hire a nanny. Someone responded to the ad they were very helpful and I hired the nanny that was recommened. Although this person had a nanny agency, when I asked if they were charging the nanny a fee they said they were not because the nanny was a friend her her nanny. Our nanny arrived in about 5 months and then we learned she DID in fact pay a fee! I am very angry. I have demaned the agency refund my nannies money. I have also told them I will contact immigration cananda to disclose this fraud..AND revenue canada. Will Immigration be able to help us? We signed under the impression that we were hiring direct. I have given them 24 hrs to contact us and the agree to refund the money or I will contact the authorities. Any thoughts of what can be legally done?
Much appreciated
Elle

[PMM]

Hi

I posted an ad to hire a nanny. Someone responded to the ad they were very helpful and I hired the nanny that was recommened. Although this person had a nanny agency, when I asked if they were charging the nanny a fee they said they were not because the nanny was a friend her her nanny. Our nanny arrived in about 5 months and then we learned she DID in fact pay a fee! I am very angry. I have demaned the agency refund my nannies money. I have also told them I will contact immigration cananda to disclose this fraud..AND revenue canada. Will Immigration be able to help us? We signed under the impression that we were hiring direct. I have given them 24 hrs to contact us and the agree to refund the money or I will contact the authorities. Any thoughts of what can be legally done?
Much appreciated
Elle

Depending on the province it is illegal to charge (BC/Alta/Manitoba/Sask)

Payment of recruitment fees and placement fees by employees are also illegal according to some provincial laws in Canada, such as the Alberta Fair Trading Act and the British Columbia Employment Standards Act.

So these are the people to contact as well as Service Canada.

PMM

[Leon]

Employment agencies outside Canada frequently charge and even employment agencies within Canada may charge, they just have to say they are not charging you for finding you a job but something else, say helping you write a CV to Canadian standards or something like that.  Your nanny may not have had an option not to pay them so it's nice to see that you are helping her get her money back.

[BCguy]

If the agency was outside Canada,There is nothing you can do,If the agency was in Canada contact Employment Standards ofyour province,If in BC contact me by PM

[Isabella]

We are in AB and the agency is in ON. Would this still count as being illegal?
Would service canada be able to follow up or should our nanny start legal acation?

[BCguy]

We are in AB and the agency is in ON. Would this still count as being illegal?
Would service canada be able to follow up or should our nanny start legal acation?

Ontario allows you to charge fees I understand,So stop harrasing this LEGAL PRACTICE,If this was AB It is illegal,You will look very foolish with the OPP or Ontario Employment Standards

[Leon]

I think it's still illegal.  You can't charge people to find them jobs in AB.  Either the employment agency broke that or they are not licensed to place people in AB. 

[Isabella]

Thank u for your feedback.
The thing that bothers us the most is that they misled us to believe they were NOT charging the nanny. When asked they said they were helping a friend. This is why we went with them. Then we find out that was a lie and just a way to get us to hire the nanny so they could make the placement fee. I wonder if their is any website that I may be able to find out the legalities of what happened?
tx
Elle

[BCguy]

Contact AB employment Standards,If She goes from overseas directly to Alberta you make have a case and they may be fined,But how can this be implimented might be a problem since they will raise a jurisdiction issue for sure